Hollywood Studios at Disney World with Tweens

**UPDATED November 2019 to include Hollywood Studios NEW Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

A trip to Disney World is a great way to really get to know your tweens. You really get to spend quality time together and you will laugh together – a lot!

I really enjoyed our recent trip to Disney with my 9-year-old son and 11-year-old daughter. I loved seeing their personalities and their sense of humor every day of our vacation. We really took our time to enjoy each other’s company. It’s a nice departure from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

If you’re heading to Hollywood Studios with your tweens, here are some things you might want to know:

Things I love about Disney World with Tweens:

• They don’t need to be picked up and carried everywhere
• You don’t have to bring in a stroller and baby food or toddler snacks
• I didn’t even need a backpack since the kids don’t use diapers and other supplies that younger kids really need
• Tweens don’t have to go to bed at 7:30 and they are cool with staying up late. You can really enjoy the fireworks and late-night Magic Hours.
• They’ll ride the more exciting roller coaster rides with you
• Tweenagers can ride attractions alone or together – I don’t have to ride Astro Orbiter anymore! And, I can ride a few coasters with the hubs!

Lessons I Learned

It’s not uncommon to see young kids or toddlers crying or having meltdowns at Disney World. The thing about tweenagers is they also get tired and hangry. Tweens can also have meltdowns when they feel bad or a ride breaks down and they feel disappointed. It may not be as dramatic as a toddler’s tantrum, but it can still happen.

Also, if your tween is moody at home, they will have moody moments at Disney World. If they like to test your patience at home, they’ll test your patience at Disney World. If your kids fight with each other at home…you get the point. Disney World is magical, but not that magical. This trip definitely taught me a lot of patience! I also learned to have them drink plenty of water and do not skip meals to wait in line for a ride!

Every “tweenager” will be different, but my kiddos wanted to have fun on the rides and see a few shows. They weren’t very interested in waiting in long lines to meet characters or getting autographs**. Of course, that could all change on our future visits to Hollywood Studios.

Some tweens will prefer thrill rides. Others will like the dark rides or shows the best. And, many tweens will want to try everything! The good thing about Hollywood Studios is that there is something for everyone in the family!

**If your tween wants to meet characters, here is where you can find them:

• Woody, Jessie, and Buzz Lightyear – Buzz can be found in front of Slinky Dog Dash, right under Jessie lassoing the dinosaur. Jessie and Woody like to hang out in front of Toy Story Mania
• Olaf – You can meet Olaf at the pavilion that is catty-corner from Backlot Express. There is a big sign to show you the entrance.
• Chewbacca & BB8 (and, sometimes, Kylo Ren) – Chewbacca and BB8 can be found at Star Wars Launch Bay. Kylo Ren makes the occasional appearance here as well.
• Edna Mode – You can find Edna Mode in her showroom, located where Pixar Place used to be.
• Sully & Mike -These two are located inside Walt Disney Presents.
• Doc McStuffins, Vampirina, and Princess Sophia– These ladies can be found at Disney Jr.

Fun Things to do with Tweens at Hollywood Studios

Star Wars

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit to Star War: Galaxy’s Edge (aka Black Spire Outpost on Batuu)! It is an experience like no other and a must-do for Star Wars fans!

Things Your Tween Will Love About Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge:

• Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run – Each mission is different and you can perfect your skills as an engineer, gunner, or pilot.
• The Shops and Markets – There is a TON of Star Wars merchandise here. You can also build your own droid or make your own lightsaber.
• Meeting Characters – The characters don’t form lines for pictures since they have important Star Wars-y work to do (they are committed to their roles!), but you can see them and they will interact with guests.
• Eat and Drink (like you’re on a planet far, far, away): There are lots of eating and drinking options. Kiddos can get a non-alcoholic drink and soak in the atmosphere at Oga’s Cantina or try some Blue Milk at The Milk Stand.
• Take in all the Details – With Star War: Galaxy’s Edge covering 14 acres, there is plenty to see and discover here. There are also several spots where you can sit, take a load off, take in the details and wait for characters to walk through. While there are signs and maps (and your My Experience APP) to guide you, Galaxy’s Edge is a great place to get lost in. The details are incredible! See more photos from our visit to Galaxy’s Edge HERE.

You may see Resistance fighters, Rey, Storm Troopers, Chewbacca, and Kylo Ren during your visit. I watched Kylo Ren and two Storm Troopers approach a man (who was filming them). Kylo Ren asked him, “Are you sending transmissions to the Resistance?” Of course, everyone laughed, but Kylo and his troopers were committed to their roles!

Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run

Fastpass+ is not currently offered for Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run or the upcoming Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (opening December 5, 2019).

Each cockpit holds 6 people, and everyone is assigned a role:

• Pilots 2 – The pilot in the left chair controls moving left to right, while the right-side pilot moves the ship up and down.
• Gunners 2 – Shoots lasers and guns
• Engineers 2 – Repairs any damage to the ship

See more of our visit to Galaxy’s Edge HERE.

Star Wars: A Galaxy Far, Far Away

This live show plays several times a day at the end of Hollywood Boulevard. It features Storm Troopers, R2D2, C-3PO, Boba Fett, Kylo Ren, Chewbacca, Darth Vader, BB-8, and Darth Maul (and more). There is a posted schedule at the stage to let you know when the shows will be.

Jedi Training Academy – Trials of the Temple

The Jedi Training: Trials of the Temple is the ultimate experience for a Star Wars fan! Who wouldn’t want to learn how to be a Jedi?

I have to say this was a fantastic experience for the kids! Participating is free/included in park admission. There is even a cast Member that takes pictures for you that go directly to your Memory Maker (or you can purchase just the daily photos).

The sign-up spot for Jedi Training is at the Adventure Outpost at Echo Lake.
There is no FastPass+ for this activity and it cannot be reserved in advance. This activity is for children ages 4-12 and your child must be present when you sign up.

You must register your child for this event on the day of your visit to Hollywood Studios. It’s important to sign up early since spots fill up quickly.

The kiddos meet at their designated times at Adventure Outpost where they get their Jedi Robes and instructions. Then they parade to the Jedi Training Temple (a parent must walk with them).

At the temple, the kids receive their lightsabers and learn some basic dueling techniques. Then, they each get a turn to participate in a choreographed “duel” with Darth Vader or Kylo Ren.

At the end of the show, the kids learn that they should not use anger to fight the Dark Side. The learn to use “the force” to defeat evil.

This was a great experience, and it was one of the highlights of our trip to Disney World.

See more photos and info about Jedi Training -Trials of the Temple HERE

Star Wars Launch Bay

Star Wars Launch Bay is located in the Animation Courtyard at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Here are some things you will see/experience at Launch Bay:

• Costumes
• Movie Props
• Artwork
• Movie settings (like the Cantina)
• Replicas and models

You can also watch a short documentary on all of the creative work that goes into the Star Wars story.

Here, at Launch Bay, you can also meet and hug Chewbacca and you may even meet Kylo Ren. Just don’t expect a hug from him. He is one serious dude!

Star Wars: Star Tours

Star Tours is a flight simulator. We strapped on our 3-D glasses and boarded our Starspeeder to see C-3PO waiting for us. He is an audio-animatronic and he leads our mission.

Our starship takes off too quickly which sends us on a crazy adventure as we try to make our way back to base. There are lots of musical scores, twists and turns, and (with the 3-D glasses) things flying toward us! Each ride seems to feature a different storyline and characters which means you can ride several times and each ride is unique.

I’ll be honest with you – this ride made me sick. I felt severely “car sick”. My 9-year-old son loved it and could have ridden it 35 million times, but the motion sickness was more than I could handle.

Making Your Own Lightsaber

As you exit the Star Tours Ride, you will find yourself at Tatooine Traders (or just enter by the entrance on the right side of Star Tours). There is so much Star Wars Swag here! If you find something you like, get it! You may not find it somewhere else. I learned this the hard way.

Anyway, the kiddos can also build their very own lightsaber here.
My son loved building his own lightsaber. It lights up and makes “lightsaber swishing” noises. As of 02/2019, a single lightsaber was about $35 and the double is about $50.

Toy Story Land

We really enjoyed our day at Toy Story Land in Hollywood Studios. Even as an adult, I enjoyed the nostalgic feel of this area and all of the happy feelings and memories this brought out of me. My kids loved that they felt like they were in the movie and they loved how fun all of the rides were.

Toy Story Land offers a roller coaster, a spinning alien ride, and an arcade/carnival-style game. You can munch on your childhood favorites (like grilled cheese and tomato soup) at Woody’s Lunchbox. This is also the place you want to be if you want to meet Woody, Jesse, and Buzz.

Slinky Dog Dash was a lot of fun! This roller coaster takes you around some thrilling curves and fun hills. You even get a nice sky-high view of Toy Story Land. It is exciting without being scary.

I highly recommend trying to get a Fastpass+ for Slinky Dog Dash. The line sometimes wraps all the way to the front of the Toy Story Land entrance!

Alien Spinning Saucers is a spinning ride. There are three circular tracks and our Alien Saucer changed tracks at least 3 times. These spinning rides usually make me really sick, but this ride is pretty tame and we all really enjoyed it.

Toy Story Mania was very exciting! It reminded me of the Buzz Lightyear ride in Tomorrow Land at the Magic Kingdom. After finishing each arcade/carnival type game, we were spun around and then sent to a new challenge. It was a lot of fun!

See more pics and info from our recent trip to Toy Story Land HERE.

Thrill Rides

Hollywood Tower Hotel is an exciting freefall ride. The intense blasts up-and-down and feelings of weightlessness are very exhilarating. Add this to the story behind the ride, and you’ve got yourself an exciting, psychological thriller.

Rock N Roller Coaster featuring Aerosmith is an indoor dark ride that takes you from 0-60 in less than 3 seconds! Your limousine ride even takes you through some exciting twists, turns, and loops. The Aerosmith music really takes this thrill ride to the next level. It’s exciting from start to finish! We loved it!

Shows

Beauty and the Beast

My daughter and I really enjoyed The Beauty and the Beast show. It is a spectacular production that far exceeded my expectations. My 9-year-old son said he liked the show, except for all of the “gross kissing”.

Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular

This was a very exciting show! We really got a behind-the-scenes look at how movies are made. It was also interesting to see the demonstrations of how stunts are performed. We really loved seeing all of the explosive special effects!

P.S. The host asks for a few volunteers before the show. Enthusiastic audience members will be chosen to be one of the extras in certain parts of the movie.

Muppet Vision 3D

I was really surprised at how much my kids enjoyed this show! This was probably one of their favorite things we did at Hollywood Studios.

This 3-D show gives us a tour of the Muppets’ lab (and Benson and Beaker create chaos as usual). Sweetums even makes an appearance. He walks through the audience, interacting with the characters on screen.

I watched the Muppet Show on tv as a kid, so it was cool to sit in an exact replica of the Muppet Theatre. We even saw Statler and Waldorf cracking jokes from their balcony seats.

Fantasmic

Fantasmic is a nightly show that is performed on select nights only (check the schedule before making your plans). The outdoor amphitheater curves around the lagoon, so everyone gets a good view. The seats fill up quickly and some people get there 1 1/2 hours in advance!

Read more details about Fantasmic HERE.

Voyage of the Little Mermaid

My tweenagers enjoyed this show, especially the lasers and bubbles. But, if I’m being completely honest, it was probably their least favorite. The Little Mermaid was one of my favorite childhood movies so I liked it – especially the HUGE animatronic Ursula with moving tentacles!

Frozen Sing-a-Long Celebration

This was probably our favorite show at Hollywood Studios. The Arendelle Historians who hosted the show were HILARIOUS! There were a few visits from Anna, Kristoff, and even Elsa. And, of course, there was a lot of singing. We also liked that snow fell from the ceiling at the end of the show. If you see one show in Hollywood Studios, see this one. Even my son (who thinks Frozen is a “girly movie”) LOVED this show.

The Food

Hollywood Studios has a nice variety of restaurants and places to eat. They also provided lots of kid-friendly options – Pizza, Hamburgers, Fries, Mac N Cheese, Grilled Cheese, etc.

Many restaurants offer healthy options as well, such as- Apple Slices, Mandarin Oranges, Yogurt, Carrots, Juices, Bottle Water.

Here are some popular restaurants at Hollywood Studios:

• 50’s Prime Time Cafe
• Sci-Fi Dine-In Cafe
• The Hollywood Brown Derby
• Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano
• Hollywood & Vine
• ABC Commissary
• Backlot Express
• Woody’s Lunchbox

See all dining experiences available at Hollywood Studios HERE.

Read about all of the Gluten-Free Meals and Snacks at Hollywood Studios HERE.

The kids also enjoyed the snacks at Hollywood Studios – Popcorn & Ice Cream were big favorites!

Have you been to Hollywood Studios lately? What were your favorite rides and shows?

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